It had been far too long since they last met. Xiao Rongyan’s figure had become even more upright and sturdy. Although Xiao Rongyan’s features were not as stunningly exceptional as Murong Yu’s—refined to the point where one could not find a single flaw—one still could not deny Xiao Rongyan’s striking handsomeness. His handsomeness was a kind of resolute, substantial masculine vigor, as if merely having him present, no matter what adversity arose, he could effortlessly hold up an entire realm.

The flames in the brazier danced wildly with the wind, their bright and dim light illuminating Xiao Rongyan’s features, making them appear even more three-dimensional, his angles even more distinct. Especially those eyes—deep and tranquil, containing a shallow smile, unfathomably profound.

Perhaps it was because of Xiao Rongyan’s black robes, but when his brows and eyes held that gentle, scholarly elegance of a smile, it could no longer conceal the sense of deterrence that had been honed by years, pure, mature, and intimidating.

Bai Qingyan’s hand tightened around the pouch. As their four eyes met, intense longing struck her heart, making her heartbeat involuntarily quicken.

Xiao Rongyan walked calmly in Bai Qingyan’s direction. She desperately restrained her steps from rushing toward Xiao Rongyan, her eyes becoming somewhat moist as she tightly gripped the pouch in her hand. In the end, she could not help but take several quick steps toward Xiao Rongyan.

Joy and elation filled her heart, along with some worry, fearing that Xiao Rongyan rushing here before New Year’s Eve would affect various matters in Yan. She had not forgotten what Yue Shi said last time—that the Yan Emperor had dumped everything on Xiao Rongyan.

She stood before Xiao Rongyan, suppressing her rapid heartbeat, looking up at him and asking, “How did you come?”

The cold wind blew past but did not carry away the burning heat on Bai Qingyan’s cheeks.

“This is thanks to the Bai family’s hidden guards allowing Yue Shi and me into the military camp…” Xiao Rongyan’s eyes gazed at Bai Qingyan’s brows and features. He could not help but raise his hand to tuck the stray hair behind Bai Qingyan’s temples behind her ear, then leaned close to her ear and said in a low voice, “Otherwise, Yue Shi and I would probably not have been able to infiltrate.”

By her ear was Xiao Rongyan’s warm, gentle voice. The warm breath he exhaled while speaking swept across the outline of Bai Qingyan’s fair ear, making her ear roots involuntarily grow hot.

Regarding the matter of the Bai family’s hidden guards accompanying Yue Shi on his wanderings, Xiao Rongyan already knew, which was why he dared to boldly and secretly infiltrate the Jin army’s military camp this time.

Before Bai Qingyan could speak, she heard Xiao Rongyan suddenly cover his mouth and cough twice. This affected the wound on his chest. Fearing Bai Qingyan would notice something amiss, he turned aside to avoid her, but his hunched, trembling back and tense posture still let Bai Qingyan see that he was injured.

“You’re injured?” Bai Qingyan supported Xiao Rongyan.

“It’s nothing…” Xiao Rongyan grasped Bai Qingyan’s hand that was supporting him, his fingers caressing Bai Qingyan’s slender wrist. His eyes held affection so deep it could not be dissolved. “A minor wound. A’Bao, do not worry!”

She moved closer to Xiao Rongyan and sniffed. Among Xiao Rongyan’s familiar scent was mixed an extremely faint smell of blood. She frowned and gripped Xiao Rongyan’s wrist in return, supporting him: “Come inside the tent so I can take a look…”

Xiao Rongyan looked down at Bai Qingyan with her furrowed brow. Seeing her worried appearance, the smile in his eyes grew even deeper. He went along with Bai Qingyan’s intention, pressing half his body weight toward Bai Qingyan, putting on an appearance of forcing himself to stay strong, not wanting Bai Qingyan to see his weakness. With slow steps, he followed Bai Qingyan toward the main tent.

This time, Yue Shi was quite perceptive, hiding behind a tree without coming out to interrupt Bai Qingyan and Xiao Rongyan. Seeing the two enter the main tent together, Yue Shi secretly smiled. He was just worrying about where to go when he suddenly heard a whistle from overhead.

Yue Shi looked up to see one of Bai Qingyan’s hidden guards crouching on a tree branch, looking at him and smiling: “Come on, little one. Leaving one person here to keep watch is enough. Let’s go have some tea!”

Their future son-in-law had finally managed to meet their eldest miss. How could they, as subordinates, be so tactless as to stand here like candles? Leaving one person to keep watch from afar to guard against outside attacks would suffice.

Yue Shi was quite surprised. He had been focused on secretly watching his master and Miss Bai, completely unaware of when the Bai family’s hidden guard had gotten above his head. This showed that whether in the capital city or Shouyang City, it truly had been the Bai family’s hidden guards accompanying him as he wandered around the cities for fun.

“Good!” Yue Shi nodded with a smile. “I was just worried about having nowhere to go!”

Yue Shi left with the Bai family’s hidden guard, going to a tent particularly far from the main camp. As soon as Yue Shi entered, he saw familiar faces gathered around a steaming hot pot by the fire stove, eating dumplings and cracking peanuts.

The Bai family’s hidden guard, who was cooking dumplings, had an apron covered in flour tied around his waist. With one hand holding the pot lid and the other using a long-handled wooden ladle to stir the pot, he said: “Oh my, did this little one climb right up to the pot rim or what? The dumplings are ready just as he arrives? The future son-in-law came too?”

Yue Shi smiled foolishly, scratching the back of his head without standing on ceremony: “Haven’t eaten yet. Master was anxious to rush here to see Miss Bai. How could I, as a subordinate, have the nerve to eat by myself?”

“Then what are you standing there for? Go wash your hands and come sit by the stove…” the hidden guard cooking dumplings called to Yue Shi.

Yue Shi had never seen hidden guards with such a homely atmosphere, who were all close like family. He had grown up beside Yan Emperor Murong Yu and Murong Yan, and all the hidden guards he had seen were proper and rule-abiding, stern-faced all day long, hidden in places the master could not see to protect the master’s safety. Some people served as hidden guards their entire lives without even knowing their comrades’ names.

Yue Shi washed his hands and sat around the stove with the Bai family hidden guards. A pouch was immediately pressed into his hands, containing pickled dried meat.

“Eat this if you’re hungry! It’s just the right time for growing. You need to eat well to have the strength to take good care of our future son-in-law!” said the hidden guard who had called Yue Shi into the main tent, smiling.

Yue Shi vaguely felt something odd about this statement, but thinking that these Bai family hidden guards had already decided that his master was their son-in-law, he was still quite happy. He nodded and pulled out a strip of meat from the pouch, stuffing it in his mouth. The taste was quite good.

Inside the main tent, Bai Qingyan helped Xiao Rongyan sit on the soft couch covered with white fox fur blankets, then pushed the brazier closer to Xiao Rongyan’s direction. She sat beside Xiao Rongyan, using the candlelight to carefully examine the area of Xiao Rongyan’s chest, feeling that a very small patch of his black clothing had a slightly deeper hue.

The moment her finger just touched—before she could even feel anything—her wrist was grasped in Xiao Rongyan’s burning palm. With a gentle application of force, Xiao Rongyan drew Bai Qingyan into his embrace.

She looked up at Xiao Rongyan, seeing the man gazing seriously into her eyes as he slowly lowered his head, as if wanting to kiss her. His lowered voice carried a hoarse quality: “A’Bao, I am a man…”

Her fingers, delicate as boneless jade, traced across that small patch of deeper-colored fabric on Xiao Rongyan’s chest, detecting moisture…

She lowered her eyelashes, focusing on her fingertip, which indeed was stained with some red. It was only because Xiao Rongyan wore black clothing that the wound’s bleeding, unless carefully observed, was completely imperceptible.